996015 Keeping your goal in mind: Organising the final phase of your PhD (WS) (SoSe 2018)

The workshop is directed at BGHS doctoral researchers at least in their second year, having their submission deadline within the next year. Based on experience, aims and scopes set at the beginning of the dissertation commonly shift as the topic develops. On one hand, obligations increase, prolonging academic work and thus demanding more time than expected. Sometimes researchers even experience that the emphasis of their PhD is not solely on academia but something entirely different…On the other hand, basic tasks are successfully completed or in progress, ideas only need to be put to paper, and some chapters just require polish. Against this background, the workshop invites to draw an interim conclusion in order to gain a superior comprehension and clarity of the projects overall aims.

On the basis of this, the focus of the two-day workshop will be on:

1st Day:
· Draw the balance: What did I achieve so far? What am I satisfied with? What can I improve? What is left to do?
· Realistic time management: How do I structure my dissertation in order to create manageable subtasks? How and when should I insert intermediate deadlines and who can help me to adhere to them? How can I construct networks and uphold them?

2nd Day:
· Keyword balance: How to approach the job ‘promotion’ from a pragmatic angle? What about the balance between dissertation, job, relationships, and self-care?
· Focusing on postdoc: Which careers can be pursued? Which strategies are available to initiate first steps?

Methodology:
This workshop follows a practical approach. Individual writing and reflection tasks as well as peer and group discussions will be offered and enriched by inputs and knowledge about writing processes and time- and self-management by the lecturer. It attempts to assist the participants in writing and reflecting on potential difficulties. Fixed topics will serve as guidelines, however, I will engage in individual questions and requests. With regard to this point, peer and group information/experience exchange will be highly profitable and desirable. At the end this workshop aims at efficient and successful writing.

Language:
The workshop will be held in English. The individual writing and reflection, peer and group tasks can be conducted in German, too.